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From: Alison Causton <>
Subject: [ARMAGH] Armagh Guardian: County Armagh Assizes - Mar 1845 - Part 2
Date: Wed, 08 May 2002 07:08:24 -0400


Armagh Guardian: County Armagh Assizes - Mar 1845 - Part 2
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The following article was transcribed from The Armagh Guardian (4 Mar
1845; microfilm), by permission of The British Library.
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NOTE: This article is very long and shall be published in several
parts. Part 2 describes the arrival of the Justices, the delivery by
the Hon. Justice CRAMPTON of the charge to the Grand Jury, and concludes
with resolution of a tax collection problem in the parish of Newry.
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COUNTY ARMAGH ASSIZES.
---------------------
...
Thursday.
About one o'clock this day their Lordships, Hon. Justice
CRAMPTON and Judge TORRENS arrived in town, escorted by
the High Sheriff and a splendid retinue, the object of general
admiration ; and about three quarters of an hour afterwards
proceeded to the Court.
Hon. Justice CRAMPTON having entered the Crown Court,
proclamation was made, the Royal Commission read by Mr.
DOBBIN, Clerk of the Crown, and the Grand Jury re-sworn;
when his Lordship delivered the following charge:--
Mr. Foreman, and Gentlemen of the Grand Jury,--There is
nothing on the calendar, on the present occasion, which seems
to call for any observation from the Court, especially to you,
gentlemen, many of whom are well acquainted with your duties,
which will not be very onerous. The number of cases on the
calendar is considerable; but with the exception of a very few
cases, they are not of a serious nature, the greater number
consisting of what is called petty larcenies. There is one subject,
gentlemen, on which I cannot avoiding congratulating you. When
attending your county on a former occasion, I had reason to
complain of the state of your jail, as well as every one who was
in any way acquainted with it; not of the officers, or those who
had the superintendence of it, for I believe they were highly
qualified to discharge their duties; but the jail itself was in a
lamentable state, it being utterly impossible to procure
accommodation for the safety--the moral safety--of those persons
deposited in it for trial, or those undergoing their punishment.
I am, however, happy to understand that, since then, you have
granted a presentment amounting to five thousand pounds for
its improvement; and I trust that all consequent measures for
the purpose of carrying that presentment into effect, will be
adopted, and followed up with spirit, for I know of nothing in
which the gentlemen of a county should feel a greater interest,
than having a proper jail for the accommodation of prisoners.
In this matter there has been a vast improvement in modern
times, and the system of jail management adopted in England,
and followed up in this country, has had the effect of making
jails rather a school for teaching morality and religion, than as
formerly, a school for demoralising the habits, and teaching
vice. I have nothing else to trouble you with. I will give any
immediate attention to your presentments, which I believe are
all ready.
Mr. NAPIER, Q.C., applied to the court to direct an applot-
ment of county cess under the following circumstances. the
Treasurer's warrant was to levy the cess in that part of the
parish of Newry which lies within the county of Armagh. The
entire amount of the sum applotted had been paid by six town-
lands--in four other townlands was a portion unlevied on
account of the houses and tenements being untenanted. The
application was to have the opinion of the Judge, whether the
uncollected amount should be levied off the entire parish, or
from part of it only.
The court directed the levy to be made off the portion of the
parish in the original warrant of the Treasurer.
...
[.../continued under Part 3]
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This reprint is intended SOLELY for the non-commercial use of family
historians, with the sincere hope that a Lister may find the content
useful. I am not descended from the person(s) mentioned herein.
**Please refer any questions arising from this article to the general
readership of the NIR-ARMAGH mailing list.**

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